Black Greed

FORTY EIGHT

"The reason why you can open Suibian is because it recognizes you as his master! Young Master Wei's core is within you!"

Wei MeiLan came too late. Wen Ning already spilled out the secret.

"Young Master Wei told us to keep this a secret," Wen Ning spoke with firmness. "I can accept your treatment to me, but..."

Wen Ning must've at his wits end, seeing often the ill treatment of Jiang Cheng towards Wei WuXian. In Wen Ning's opinion, Jiang Cheng should have supported Wei WuXian with his choice than spite him without knowing what really had happened.

But then again, people would like to create stories about others to make themselves feel good despite of their mediocre skills or status in life. While others are willingly listen and believe those words than believe the person whose being insulted and looked down upon.

Unfortunately, Jiang Cheng chose to believe the others than his martial brother that grew up with him since they're young.

Wei MeiLan is standing behind Jiang Cheng, silently watching his defeated back as the unsheathed Suibian is in his hands. He threw it away in disbelief.

"That's not true! You're lying!"

Wen Ning picked the blade and put it back on its sheath. He handed the sword back to Jiang Cheng. "With your competitiveness, have you ever wondered why Young Master Wei never showed his skills? Why you excelled after you 'got' your golden core back? You won't be able to outclass him. You live in his shadows since then, and now tht you get powerful than ever, you're trying to get out of that shadow, but you won't be able. And that is the burden that you are going to face forever,"

Wen Ning followed Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian to the dock and set off to chase after Jin GuangYao who's plotting something huge enough that the Yin metal is involved with this mess.

Jiang Cheng turned around to ran away, but Wei MeiLan is standing before him, with unreadable face.

"Do you know this, Second sister?"

"I do," She answered without hesitations.

"Why didn't you told me?"

"I warned you, didn't I? But you chose to listen to them," She walked at the railings to take a look at the lotuses, leaning. "There are things that you must find out yourself if you want to know the truth. When he disappeared for months back then, I already knew. You 'got' your core back, but he's somewhere in a place that is dangerous for a coreless person like him.

"A'Cheng, you're old enough to know what's the truth above the lies. I had taught you the ways to disseminate information from the mouths of many, yet you still learned nothing. I can't say that I'm disappointed, but I expect that you will pick up something from everything I have shown to you,"

She stood up properly. "You have a few hours to decide. I'm going to follow them, after all Lan Huan is with Meng Yao,"

She left Jiang Cheng at the Lotus Pier and took one of the boats in the dock to follow the three that might be rowing the boat all the way to the location.

Lotuses are scattered in the river, some are in full bloom, some are still budding. Wielding a spiritual sword, a bell hanging softly as the band for her half updo hair, she only has herself to come to an unknown place just to make sure that no one will do any stupid moves.

She reached the dock around noon. The temple where Lan XiChen and Jin GuangYao is still open for people that's accepting offerings and prayers.

Albeit different from them who's cultivating path to immortality, temple cultivates good deeds as monks.

However, Wei MeiLan has a different perception when it comes to the bald people wearing only an orange cloth around the body, walking around reciting mantras, giving sermon how to cultivate good deeds.

Especially the ones that serves Jin GuangYao.

They might look righteous and clean in appearance, but any person who's colluding with the Chief cultivator is not the  one who has good intentions to begin with.

But then again, she's acquainted with the said person, does she belong to that group?

She waited until sunset before knocking at the door, where the monks where waiting at the closed door of entrance, weapons aiming at her. If Lan XiChen and Jin GuangYao didn't recognized her voice, the monks might have shot her through the door.

The door was opened, Jin GuangYao and Lan XiChen awaiting for her. "Sister Mei! Why are you here?"

She walked towards Lan XiChen and looked at his eyes. "I warned you, didn't I?"

He looked with sadness at her. "I'm sorry—"

Their talk was interrupted when Fairy, Jin Ling's dog rushed to the entrance, barking. The child on the other hand, tried to reprimand the spiritual dog and probed on the door, however the monks are pointing their weapons at the door, waiting to shoot if Jin Ling decided to enter.

However, the ruckus died down when Fairy ran around, this time leading Jin Ling to use the wall. One of the monks saw him trying to scale the wall and shot the arrow towards him, but the bamboo flute of Wei WuXian blocked the attack, destroying the instrument.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi spring from the roof of the temple and tried to fought the monks, surprising their siblings that were trying to have a nice conversation.

But as they attempted to knock all monks down, a string suddenly came out of Jin GuangYao and attempted to attack Wei WuXian. He evaded it, but somehow it wasn't meant to be jabbed at him, but to lock him and use as a bait.

"A'Ying—"

Wei MeiLan and Lan WangJi both tried to rescue Wei WuXian, but the string gets tighter around his neck, making him bled a little.

Whenever Lan WangJi move forward, the string tightens around Wei WuXian's neck.

"Meng Yao!" Wei MeiLan screamed as Lan XiChen hold her shoulder to make sure she won't rush up in fit of emotions.

"I'm sorry, Sister Mei, but if I don't do this, my work won't be finished," Jin GuangYao looked at Wei MeiLan to apologize sincerely. "Hangguang-Jun, put down your weapon, you might hurt him accidentally instead of me,"

"Lan Zhan, don't!" Wei WuXian exclaimed.

"And seal your cultivation powers also," Jin GuangYao.

"You're going too far!" Wei WuXian snarled.

Lan WangJi did what Jin GuangYao told him to do so, as Jin Ling was captured by the monks who chased him earlier.

"Master, the dog ran off. We cannot catch it for he tries to bite us," One of the monks reported.

"Nevermind that dog,"

"Aunt Mei..." Jin Ling spoke softly.

"We are going to have a good discussion after this, you hear me?"

Jin Ling gulped down his fear of getting caught and dying in his uncle's hands. His Aunt Mei is way scary when giving out punishments.

After the gathering of the people to the courtyard of the temple, everyone were gathered inside, to witness what Jin GuangYao has been doing that cause huge chaos and disruption, enough to wrongly accuse innocent people for so many years